5 Things to Know: Wednesday, December 2

By
Casey Dolan
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Welcome to 5 Things to Know – a daily rundown of things you might want to be aware of if you live in, visit, or just like being aware about what’s going on in Palm Springs and the Coachella Valley. As always, thank you for your continued support of Cactus Hugs.

1) The Coronavirus

Riverside County reported 1,072 new cases and 1 new reported deaths since Tuesday. There have been 1,444 reported deaths from coronavirus this year in Riverside County. The county reported 628 COVID-19 patients in county hospitals.  That’s more than at any other point in the pandemic and it has been rising steadily over the last couple of weeks.

Here is the latest on what’s going on in the desert:

More:

Hope is on the way.  It’s not here yet and things are going from bad to worse.  Please, be safe. Wear a mask.  Be careful.  Be smart.

2) In-class learning won’t happen until at least February at Palm Springs schools

Officials with the Palm Springs Unified School District had hoped that limited in-class learning could resume at schools in January, but that has been pushed back. In an announcement this week, the district’s superintendent said the earliest that students might return to classes is now February

“We had hoped to be able to start our hybrid program of having up to 50 percent of our students back in the classrooms two days a week a week after winter break in mid-January,” Lyon said in a letter sent to students and parents and posted on the PSUSD website.

“We know now that this will not be possible, and the earliest we would be able to move forward with our hybrid instruction plan would be during the month of February. Even that is tentative at this point based on whether we are able to move into a safer tier after the holidays,” she said.

3) That big Marilyn Monroe statue is now officially coming to Palm Springs

That 26-foot-tall statue of Marilyn will be placed on Museum Way in Palm Springs after the city council approved a three-year contract with PS Resorts.  The contract states that the statue must be installed before May 1 or the agreement is terminated.  PS Resorts is expecting to have it installed in mid-February.

4) DHS is going all in on weed

Desert Pot Springs (see what I did there?) already has become a hub for the cannabis industry and, after a vote by the city council on Tuesday, things could grow even further, with approval for “marijuana entertainment facilities” and allowing hotels to sell cannabis.

“I think this is one of our better ordinances,” Councilmember Gary Gardner “I love that we are leading the way when it comes to cannatourism and things that will really put DHS on the map.”

5) LifeStream could really use your blood

The local blood bank is asking for donations as it currently has less than a 1-day supply of blood. A spokesman for the blood bank told KESQ that the local blood supply is “nearly depleted” and this is “the worst it has been” since the pandemic began.

You can schedule an appointment to donate here.

Stay safe.  Stay smart.  Practice Social Distancing.  Wear a mask.  

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